Brand heritage: bridging the past and future through a systematic literature review and research agenda
Journal
Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC
ISSN
2444-9709
Publisher
Emerald
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Type
text::journal::journal article
Abstract
Purpose: As firms increasingly mobilize their histories to differentiate themselves in competitive and uncertain markets, brand heritage has emerged as a critical construct linking the past to present and future strategy. However, existing research reflects a range of different theoretical, methodological and contextual perspectives on brand heritage. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to organize the extant literature of brand heritage into a coherent theoretical model and propose a research agenda for this domain. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review of 91 peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2024 was conducted. The theory-context-methodology (TCM) framework was used to analyze the current state of the research topic while McCracken’s (1986) model of meaning transfer was adopted to offer a coherent account of how heritage meanings are constructed, communicated and experienced. Findings: The review contributes by identifying theoretical gaps, underexplored contexts and methodological limitations in brand heritage scholarship, while also framing brand heritage as a dynamic concept that evolves from institutional encoding to symbolic communication and eventual consumer appropriation. Together, these approaches help delineate a research agenda for the field. Originality/value: This systematic literature review uniquely integrates the TCM framework with McCracken’s model of meaning transfer to develop a multilevel analytical structure that consolidates extant literature and clarifies future research areas of brand heritage. © The authors © Emerald.
License
Acceso Abierto
How to cite
Castillo-Villar, F. R. (2026). Brand heritage: bridging the past and future through a systematic literature review and research agenda. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/sjme-07-2025-0197